Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Kickball Review!

I never did share how the Kickball for Charity tournament went.

I arrived that day and worried that I was at the wrong place, as there wasn’t another person in sight that I knew. Thankfully they knew who I was and I was given my lime green tee shirt, a bag of Kaiser commercial stuff, and a waiver to sign should anything “happen to me.”

Our team did all show up shortly after, and we happily partook of the yummy BBQ lunch they had set up for everyone. It was during lunch that I realized how much smaller our group was compared to everyone else. Most teams sported about 12-16 players, and we were just nine. It turns out that nine is the minimum, which meant we all had to play ALL of the time! No breaks, no rests – five games in a row, nonstop! I was feeling that by game two.

Everyone who played was fantastic – several people on our team I knew, but there were a few I did not, and I was glad for a chance to get to know them. Oh, who am I kidding – we bonded! There is no better way to get to know people than when you’re thrown into a situation where you’re cheering each other on and celebrating each victory! We were all about the shout outs and the high fives and lifting one another up. I loved it! I had forgotten how good it feels to be a part of something bigger than myself. I don’t think I’ve had that since back in high school when our theater group was more like a family.

In the end we didn’t win big – out of eight teams we tied for 5th place with another team. (Shame on them, they actually cheated (yes, cheated!) at the end to tie with us. Who cheats in a charity game??) Next year we’re going to get our game on during the few weeks before and really be ready. It took us a few games to really get into a groove with each other, so it’d be nice to be in that zone beforehand.

The other thing I’ll do differently next year? Be in better physical shape! Holy Frijoles, was I sore!! I could barely walk for three days afterwards, and it took a week before I didn’t cry when I used the muscles in my upper thigh. My kicking leg was hard hit – it took the brunt of the workout. I’ve promised my leg that it won’t happen again – I guess I’d better keep that promise or I’m bound to get an ass kicking from myself next year.